While this is cool technology indeed, it is not new. Slashdot's adage is "news for nerds, stuff that matters". I am personally very interested in the history of mathematics, science and engineering. But it is not to feed that interest that I visit slashdot. Thousands of other cool historical things exist: invention of motion picture, the television, important physics experiments, the discovery of physical laws... all of them interesting and cool, but not new.
Now if these pictures would have been found back after being missing since 1907, or if someone had done processing of them, and had discovered something special, this would qualify as news. Now it's just one of thousands of cool things, and I understand why people complain.
We must as soon as possible spread out beyond this galaxy to ensure the survival of humans and perhaps life in general. We must leave. Now. Immediately. The clock is ticking
Parent should have been modded funny instead of insightful: given that the human race really needs to be rescued (personally I am not convinced, but anyway), we have plenty of time before the sun explodes, some 5 billion years or so.
Numerous things can happen in that time: mankind may mutate in another life form...
However the most likely event to occur is that we kill ourselves. Either in an accident of whatever kind (nuclear plant, disease,...), or in a stupid war.
Imho, the sun exploding will NEVER be in the critical path of the existence of mankind.
Am I the only one to think it is sad old people should now revert to robots?
One hundred years ago, having children was an insurance for old age: if you had many, at least one of them would take care of you. At least, such was the situation in Europe (where I live), and I know this was especially the case in Asia too. Probably life was shorter back than, and the elderly weren't a 'burden' for a long time...
Nowadays, people live longer (or at least they can choose to, by living healthy... obesitas anyone?), and their offspring is busier. So I can understand it is not always feasible to take care of your parents yourself, and we now have nursing homes.
But when I am old, and put in such place, which is understaffed, and no one has the time to deal with me, and the only companion I have is an AI electronic device, why would I want to live any longer? Or why wouldn't I be better off senile? The only explanation is that a minimal preservation of my mental abilities would be easier for the (few) humans taking care of me. A sad 28 year old.
Maybe a little OT, but interestingly, he also designed a bicycle. Or rather, people tought so for some time. It turned out it was faked by one of the restorers back in the 1970's or so. A drawing and a little more info.
The most logical inside would be a stripped-down Wifi card, with the T/R switch, power amp and maybe other stuff removed. When you need some demodulator/decoder anyway (to distinguish from microwave oven etc), why not install the entire chipset, and just underuse that...
The phase centre of the receiving antennae is not the same for all directions. Even in the absense of ionosphere and timing errors, one could never be sure (unless the antenna rotation was known).
Not according to this page.
Also, I seem to recall that a rubidium standard is more dependent on the gas pressure, whereas Cesium is more robust to these variations (not sure, though).
I also wonder about the following: how can it be determined how these 'constants' change? I can imagine that the timing standard itself is dependent on these constants. How can you tell which of the two is changing?
Cool as they may look, I would never use these pieces to play chess (although I have them lying around). Can imagine the cost of this chess set, if bought new, is well over $100. Moreover, I am a bad chess player as it is. Playing with non-staunton pieces doesn't help (having to think 'what did the N-connector represent' all the time).
Z
John Peel's record collection: 25k
on
The Music Man
·
· Score: 1
A few weeks ago John Peel passed away, according to many the best DeeJay ever. He reputedly owned 25000 vinyl records. That's of the same order of magnitude as this guy's collection. And all completely legal.
I can see the benefit of wireless headphones, but how do wireless speakers even make sense?
Indeed, I also wonder what the fuss is about when you are talking about fixed speakers close to your desk. I have a whole lot of cables dangling from my pc, they are ugly, but hidden below the desk, and do no bother me at all.
But I can see a bright future for surround applications. The rear speakers require cables to go all the way to the other side of the room. Not so well hidden, and a risk of tripping over them. If the signals get over there wireless, I don't care if the speakers still need to be plugged in the wall for power.
Sorry, the gloves come off when Europeans dare to judge us unfairly just because our country (and Britian) has the cojones to oppose evil in the world. Just because you guys have given up trying to change the world for the better, doesn't mean we will.
I will not go into a discussion about the methods you use to better the world, but will share you a consideration a lot of Europeans have about the US foreign policy: have you ever considered why some of these evils in the world don't turn to Europe, only to the U.S.?
It would have been much better if he'd used a zoom lens, unless I'm missing something?
While I agree that the movie could have been better, there is a simple explanation for the lens used (apart from the fact that it may have been the only one available): using a zoom lens would require you to move the camera. While this is a burden to do at night (instead of just letting the camera run on its own), it would also be far from trivial to follow a smooth curve, especially when you don't know exactly where the moon is going. In other words, a zoom lens would have resulted in a very sharp, but very shaky movie. The guy gave it a good shot, next time may be better...
...the antique equipment creates an atmosphere that has been forgotten.
No way this atmosphere has been forgotten. Holy wars are still fought over this tube vs FET etc. I don't want to take an opinion in this discussion, but fail to understand why this is news. Z
On the picture site it says that mixing water and chocolate (to dilute the chocolate) is a bad idea. Usually, this is done with milk, because of solubility of fat components or whatever.
Anyway, a guy I know is in the 'chocolate decoration' business. He works for a chocolate company and designs new desserts, and good-looking chocolate items for exhibitions and magazines. As you may know, photos in magazines usually aren't of the _real_ food (because this would look unattractive), but highly processed. Like roasted chicken is covered with brown shoe shine to make it look more 'tasty' (in a magazine, that is). I kid you not. Anyway, this guy told me that if you add a small (critical) quantity of water to molten chocolate, it solidifies to something he called "concrete". He told me that it this happened, it was impossible to get it out of the jar, and it had to be thrown away. I have tried it and not succeeded, maybe because I used the wrong type of chocolate. It is not something you want to happen in a printer... Z
I'd like to see standardized incorporation of GPS into a net-capable portable phone
This is surely coming our way. I even believe systems exist/are being developed to do (rough) positioning based on the the GSM base stations. At the moment devices exist with WLAN/GSM capability, using WLAN for data when available, and, GSM when not. Z
It also has a TV output. Makes me wonder what will be the evolution of the integration of stuff. A calendar/camers/notebook(let)/... may be handy, but won't there ever be a moment where integration should/will stop? Z
Clearly she has a boyfriend whose trust in her she interprets as indifference
As most girls do. Men and women handle trust in another way I guess. Movies are made about this issue, such as Mepris (Contempt), with BB for instance. Z
... which doesn't really address the matter, does it? 1TB/s moved over a mile is less impressive than moving 1TB/s to the other side of the world. Both would be a new 'record'... Z
Slashdot Mirror
While this is cool technology indeed, it is not new. Slashdot's adage is "news for nerds, stuff that matters". I am personally very interested in the history of mathematics, science and engineering. But it is not to feed that interest that I visit slashdot. Thousands of other cool historical things exist: invention of motion picture, the television, important physics experiments, the discovery of physical laws...
all of them interesting and cool, but not new.
Now if these pictures would have been found back after being missing since 1907, or if someone had done processing of them, and had discovered something special, this would qualify as news. Now it's just one of thousands of cool things, and I understand why people complain.
Z
I really am pursuing an MBA!
Or actually purring ans suing...
I really am pursuing an MBA!
You mean purrrrsuing an MBA...
We must as soon as possible spread out beyond this galaxy to ensure the survival of humans and perhaps life in general. We must leave. Now. Immediately. The clock is ticking
Parent should have been modded funny instead of insightful: given that the human race really needs to be rescued (personally I am not convinced, but anyway), we have plenty of time before the sun explodes, some 5 billion years or so.
Numerous things can happen in that time: mankind may mutate in another life form... However the most likely event to occur is that we kill ourselves. Either in an accident of whatever kind (nuclear plant, disease,...), or in a stupid war.
Imho, the sun exploding will NEVER be in the critical path of the existence of mankind.
Z
Am I the only one to think it is sad old people should now revert to robots?
One hundred years ago, having children was an insurance for old age: if you had many, at least one of them would take care of you. At least, such was the situation in Europe (where I live), and I know this was especially the case in Asia too. Probably life was shorter back than, and the elderly weren't a 'burden' for a long time...
Nowadays, people live longer (or at least they can choose to, by living healthy... obesitas anyone?), and their offspring is busier. So I can understand it is not always feasible to take care of your parents yourself, and we now have nursing homes.
But when I am old, and put in such place, which is understaffed, and no one has the time to deal with me, and the only companion I have is an AI electronic device, why would I want to live any longer? Or why wouldn't I be better off senile? The only explanation is that a minimal preservation of my mental abilities would be easier for the (few) humans taking care of me.
A sad 28 year old.
Z
I think they are used to play hockey. May be wrong, but I think there is a bunch of hockey sticks next to the helmet cabinet in the pictures.
Z
Maybe a little OT, but interestingly, he also designed a bicycle. Or rather, people tought so for some time. It turned out it was faked by one of the restorers back in the 1970's or so. A drawing and a little more info.
Z
The most logical inside would be a stripped-down Wifi card, with the T/R switch, power amp and maybe other stuff removed. When you need some demodulator/decoder anyway (to distinguish from microwave oven etc), why not install the entire chipset, and just underuse that...
Z
Ok, if I understand well, I can hack this machine, add a keyboard and get...
...a C64 as we know it, which I can buy at eBay.
Why would I want to do that? Hacking stuff is cool, but in this case, what's the gain?
Z
...as in 'freedom of speech'
Bummer
Z
The phase centre of the receiving antennae is not the same for all directions. Even in the absense of ionosphere and timing errors, one could never be sure (unless the antenna rotation was known).
Z
Not according to this page.
Also, I seem to recall that a rubidium standard is more dependent on the gas pressure, whereas Cesium is more robust to these variations (not sure, though).
Z
I also wonder about the following: how can it be determined how these 'constants' change? I can imagine that the timing standard itself is dependent on these constants. How can you tell which of the two is changing?
Z
Cool as they may look, I would never use these pieces to play chess (although I have them lying around). Can imagine the cost of this chess set, if bought new, is well over $100. Moreover, I am a bad chess player as it is. Playing with non-staunton pieces doesn't help (having to think 'what did the N-connector represent' all the time).
Z
A few weeks ago John Peel passed away, according to many the best DeeJay ever. He reputedly owned 25000 vinyl records. That's of the same order of magnitude as this guy's collection. And all completely legal.
Z
I can see the benefit of wireless headphones, but how do wireless speakers even make sense?
Indeed, I also wonder what the fuss is about when you are talking about fixed speakers close to your desk. I have a whole lot of cables dangling from my pc, they are ugly, but hidden below the desk, and do no bother me at all.
But I can see a bright future for surround applications. The rear speakers require cables to go all the way to the other side of the room. Not so well hidden, and a risk of tripping over them. If the signals get over there wireless, I don't care if the speakers still need to be plugged in the wall for power.
Z
Sorry, the gloves come off when Europeans dare to judge us unfairly just because our country (and Britian) has the cojones to oppose evil in the world. Just because you guys have given up trying to change the world for the better, doesn't mean we will.
I will not go into a discussion about the methods you use to better the world, but will share you a consideration a lot of Europeans have about the US foreign policy: have you ever considered why some of these evils in the world don't turn to Europe, only to the U.S.?
Z
It would have been much better if he'd used a zoom lens, unless I'm missing something?
While I agree that the movie could have been better, there is a simple explanation for the lens used (apart from the fact that it may have been the only one available): using a zoom lens would require you to move the camera. While this is a burden to do at night (instead of just letting the camera run on its own), it would also be far from trivial to follow a smooth curve, especially when you don't know exactly where the moon is going. In other words, a zoom lens would have resulted in a very sharp, but very shaky movie. The guy gave it a good shot, next time may be better...
Z
...the antique equipment creates an atmosphere that has been forgotten.
No way this atmosphere has been forgotten. Holy wars are still fought over this tube vs FET etc. I don't want to take an opinion in this discussion, but fail to understand why this is news.
Z
On the picture site it says that mixing water and chocolate (to dilute the chocolate) is a bad idea. Usually, this is done with milk, because of solubility of fat components or whatever.
Anyway, a guy I know is in the 'chocolate decoration' business. He works for a chocolate company and designs new desserts, and good-looking chocolate items for exhibitions and magazines. As you may know, photos in magazines usually aren't of the _real_ food (because this would look unattractive), but highly processed. Like roasted chicken is covered with brown shoe shine to make it look more 'tasty' (in a magazine, that is). I kid you not.
Anyway, this guy told me that if you add a small (critical) quantity of water to molten chocolate, it solidifies to something he called "concrete". He told me that it this happened, it was impossible to get it out of the jar, and it had to be thrown away. I have tried it and not succeeded, maybe because I used the wrong type of chocolate. It is not something you want to happen in a printer...
Z
soap...
Z
I'd like to see standardized incorporation of GPS into a net-capable portable phone
This is surely coming our way. I even believe systems exist/are being developed to do (rough) positioning based on the the GSM base stations. At the moment devices exist with WLAN/GSM capability, using WLAN for data when available, and, GSM when not.
Z
It also has a TV output. Makes me wonder what will be the evolution of the integration of stuff. A calendar/camers/notebook(let)/... may be handy, but won't there ever be a moment where integration should/will stop?
Z
Clearly she has a boyfriend whose trust in her she interprets as indifference
As most girls do. Men and women handle trust in another way I guess. Movies are made about this issue, such as Mepris (Contempt), with BB for instance.
Z
... which doesn't really address the matter, does it? 1TB/s moved over a mile is less impressive than moving 1TB/s to the other side of the world. Both would be a new 'record'...
Z